Further Reflections: We were lucky to be in Iowa for our unintended journey

4:13 AM,
Oct. 6, 2013

Lynn and Carroll McKibbin were visited by granddaughter Sydney during treatment.

Written by

Carroll McKibbin

A long, dim hallway stretched ahead, interrupted only by the lights of a nurses' station.

The shriek of a chemo bag alarm broke an eerie silence. A languid medley of hospital aromas flooded my senses as I wandered aimlessly past room after room of hairless oncology patients.

I felt alone, helplessly alone, more alone than any time in my life. Two thousand miles from our California home, my wife, Lynn, and I had planned to attend a school reunion in Iowa when fate intervened with cruel intentions. ...